NICOLA HICKS
3 JULY — 18 AUGUST 2018
NICOLA HICKS
TAYLOE PIGGOTT GALLERY 62 SOUTH GLENWOOD STREET JACKSON HOLE WYOMING TEL 307 733 0555 TAYLOEPIGGOTTGALLERY.COM
RED BULLOCK
Charcoal on paper 60 X 76 inches
4
STAG
Charcoal on paper 72 Ă— 60 inches
6
STANDING FIGURE (MINOTAUR) Charcoal on paper 86 × 45 inches
8
GREY, ed. of 3
Plaster and straw (to be cast in bronze) 32 Ă— 12 Ă— 72 inches
10
WALKING BEAR Plaster and straw 18 × 9 × 10 inches
12
MOOSE
Plaster and straw 23 × 9 × 20 inches
14
UNTITLED (DEER 2)
Charcoal and chalk on paper 45 × 70 inches
16
UNTITLED (STAG)
Charcoal and pastel on paper 78 × 60 inches
18
FOX AND CHICKEN Bronze, ed. of 12 5 × 10 × 4 inches
20
BALANCING HONEY EATER Bronze, ed. of 12 6 × 6 × 7 inches
22
THE HONEY EATER Bronze, ed. of 12 6 × 5 × 5 inches
23
LION
Charcoal on paper 73 Ă— 60 inches
24
UNTITLED MAQUETTE 3 Bronze, ed. of 6 12 × 8 × 12 inches
26
EPICURUS
Sand and plaster 14 × 14 × 11 inches
28
STUDY SKETCH III (BUNNY GIRL) Plaster
4 × 6 × 3 inches
30
STUDIO SKETCH I (BEAR)
STUDIO SKETCH VI
4 × 5 × 3 inches
4 × 4 × 2 inches
Plaster
Plaster
31
UNTITLED (HUSKY) Charcoal on paper 61 × 46 inches
32
UNTITLED (DOG)
Charcoal on paper 46 × 61 inches
34
PUPPY
Bronze, ed. of 6 15 × 25 × 12 inches
36
HARRY
Charcoal on paper 45 × 49 inches
38
TERRIER
Pastel on paper 45 × 36 inches
40
LABRADOR
Bronze, unique 2 × 4 × 1 inches
42
WITH A BONE Bronze, ed. of 12 9 × 5 × 6 inches
43
NICOLA HICKS A remarkable artist, Nicola Hicks is fascinated by reinventing animal figures with bold intention as a means of cathartic play. She is driven by her pure, raw emotional connection to her artworks and instills her love for the craft in each piece. She “loves the magical feeling of having something evolveat her fingertips, that she is making something live that hasn’t lived before.” Depicting both realistic and mythical animals with extraordinary vividness that transcends mere visual fact, Hicks captures the spiritual power of beings. Bears, deer, moose, dogs or a mythic Minotaur, all of Hicks’ art is rooted in the study of anatomy and observations of life. She asserts her art has nothing to do with reality but rather with evoking a strong visceral response. She is uninterested in her work appearing as a particular animal; instead she wants the figure to be that animal. Throwing herself into each creation, Hicks works quickly in an unselfconscious way that allows her to produce a vibrant animation. She uses unconventional materials that mirror the speed of her work. Quickly tearing off craft paper in large sheets, she uses charcoal, chalk and pastel to draw the creature bursting through her imagination. She designs her three-dimensional work in a similar nature through a unique sculpting process that involves plaster, mud and straw. There is straw strewn about Hicks’ studio, which she continually gathers and mixes with plaster in order to quickly erect a figure. Due to the delicate nature of her organic materials, Hicks ensures the permanency of her artworks through the meticulous process of casting them into bronze. Her sculptures are deeply impacted by Auguste Rodin, who described sculpture as “drawing with light.” Hicks strives to bring out this light within her figures. Her creatures reveal the mortality in each animal, a sensation emblematic of Nicola Hicks’ artworks.
Published on the occasion of the exhibition NICOLA HICKS 3 July - 18 August 2018
© 2018 All Rights Reserved BISON II, Bronze, ed. of 6, 3 x 4 x 1 inches
Nicola Hicks was born in London in 1960 and studied at the Chelsea School of Art and the Royal College of Art. The daughter of two artists, Hicks grew up producing her own art. She became an established presence among the artists of her generation at the young age of 25. In 1995, Hicks was awarded an MBE for her contribution to the visual arts. Hicks’ sculptures and drawings have been presented in numerous international museums and galleries. Hicks has completed several public commissions including large-scale sculptures at Schoenthal Monastery, Langenbruck, Switzerland. Recent solo exhibitions include Sorry, Sorry Sarajevo, St Paul’s Cathedral, London; Sculpture by Nicola Hicks at the Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, United States; and her work was included in The Universal Addressability of Dumb Things, curated by Mark Leckey, as part of the Hayward Touring series at venues across the UK during 2013. Hicks’ work can be found in the collections of the Tate Gallery in London, the Hakone Open Air Museum in Kanagawa, Japan, and the Castle Museum in Norwich.
62 SOUTH GLENWOOD STREET JACKSON HOLE WYOMING TEL 307 733 0555 TAYLOEPIGGOTTGALLERY.COM